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The weather in Illinois as of late has inspired me to return to one of my favorite pop songs of all time. It's been a tad chilly (for May), getting down to the freezing point in the wee hours and barely topping 50 in the day. As a result, The Choir's "It's Cold Outside" has been stuck on repeat in my head. I think it snuck in there one morning last week while I was in the shower, and it's just stuck around. I've nothing to complain about--it's hardly a song that could wear out its welcome. It's a catchy slice of melancholic Merseybeat penned by Dann Klawon about the loss of a loved one. Nothing unique by mid-'60s standards, except for the fact that the vocal hook is absolutely killer on both the chorus and the verse. The song was later paid tribute to by a post-Dead Boys Stiv Bators, who, like The Choir, called Cleveland his home. His version is worth tracking down, which of course means that the original is worth owning, too. And if you own the first Nuggets box, then you've already got The Choir's version. I took things a step further and picked up The Choir's career-spanning collection, Choir Practice (on Sundazed).




The group's history, which is recounted in detail in the album's liner notes, is of some relevance to more mainstream '70s rock and roll fans. To review, we've got to start in late 1963, when a collection of teens from the outermost Cleveland burbs began gobbling up Merseybeat records. There's nothing too radical about this concept considering that The Beatles were breaking in America at this time, making their famed Ed Sullivan appearance in February of 1964. But Choir-founder Dann Klawon wasn't your typical Beatlemania nerd. Klawon was a wanderer who spent his free time hitching around the country--shaggy hair and all--to catch the Stones in the Motor City and The Beatles at Shea Stadium.

Klawon had a bit of musical talent himself, being serviceable on guitar, bass, harmonica and drums. He formed Choir-precursor The Mods in '64 while still in high school. Surely one of about 100 such-titled groups in the mid-'60s, Klawon's The Mods featured a 15 year-old kid by the name of Wally Bryson on guitar, Klawon on drums, and guitarist/vocalist Dave Smalley. Eventually, they stole their first bassist, Dave Burke, from a local greaser band and added drummer Jim Bonfanti, moving Klawon to the role of songwriter/part-time drummer.

Fast forward a few months of playing Pretty Things covers on the local Cleveland circuit, and the band was drawing a crowd thanks to a few TV appearances and opening for the likes of Chubby Checker and The Outsiders. This was a tough band, with hair creeping to Byrds' length, and as such they became popular with Cleveland's blue-collar population. By the winter of '66, they were set to release their debut single, "It's Cold Outside," the song that ultimately made The Choir a one-hit wonder (at least in Cleveland). The record was released on Canadian American Records (what the fuck?), a NYC label, and later reissued nationally on Roulette Records. Legal complications arose--not surprisingly--due to their common band name, and so the band changed their name to The Choir. Despite the record becoming a hit in Cleveland and peaking at #68 on Billboard's single charts, no one in the band saw a dime from the sales of the record.

At this point, the group began touring Ohio as band members came and went on a frequent basis, which became a common theme for The Choir. Also about this time, the group began the hunt for a keyboardist. The first to try out was a big-talker named Eric Carmen. Carmen could sing for certain, but his attitude--not to mention the wig he was wearing--was a turn-off. The Choir opted for the veteran Kenny Margolis instead.

Fast forward again to the summer of '67 and "It's Cold Outside" has fallen off the local charts. But, with a new keyboardist in tow, The Choir open for The Who, Blues Magoos, and Herman's Hermits in Cleveland. Wally Bryson, at this point a senior in high school, takes over most of the songwriting chores, but after a series of songwriting flops leaves the band in early '68. Original founder Dann Klawon rejoins the band only to quit the following fall and then rejoin yet again in '69 (only to quit again before the year was up). Oh, and Dann's brother Randy also joined the band for awhile. Confused yet? During this ever-evolving time, the band donned Choir robes on stage for a brief while (as they appear on the cover of the CD) and performed Jimi Hendrix covers, too.




Basically, The Choir spent a good deal of time spinning their wheels...until they finally sputtered to their closure in 1970. About that same time, Choir drummer Jim Bonfanti and former guitarist Wally Bryson joined up with once-snubbed Eric Carmen to form a new band, The Raspberries. You may have heard of 'em. They went on to record a few hits in the '70s, and eventually added another Choir-founder, Dave Smalley, to the group.

Getting back to Choir Practice... As with just about any collection of songs from an obscure '60s garage group, it's a mixed bag. But, there's some notable songs here. "In Love's Shadow" pays homage to The Zombies, and shows the band progressing into a more fashionable sound hip to the radio dial. (They also cover The Zombies' "Leave Me Be" here, but that's ultimately forgettable.) "I'd Rather You Leave Me" is a Byrds' influenced Wally Bryson-penned tune that once again shows the band's gift for backing vocals. Maybe that's where they got the idea to call themselves The Choir? It's worth noting just how significant a role backing vocals played not only for The Choir, but also for smooth-talkers The Raspberries. Speaking of smooth talkers, check out the cheesy "Anyway I Can," an unissued (and I can see why) demo from 1969.

I can't very well recommend buying Choir Practice, as many of the 18 tracks are duplicate takes and throwaways of poor fidelity. But, I suppose that's to be expected when one attempts to compile a career-spanning retrospective of a band that released just a few singles over the course of five years.

--

"It's Cold Outside" -- The song that won over Cleveland's heart in 1967.

"David Watts" -- Straight-up cover of The Kinks' classic recorded in 1969 and never released.

"I'd Rather You Leave Me" -- They had The Byrds' haircuts, so why not try some of their folk-rock jangle on for size as well?

"In Love's Shadow" -- Moody and introspective like The Zombies, but with far less-compelling lead vocals. Call it Zombies Lite.

"Anyway I Can" -- Uh, yuck. Time to call it quits in 1969.

"It's Cold Outside" -- Stiv's 1979 version is inferior, but still enjoyable. You can find it on the Bomp! release L.A. L.A. by Bators, Stiv.

Purchase Choir Practice on CD or LP from Sundazed.